Enhancing Nursing Students’ Knowledge in Tropical Nursing through Tropical NurseTalk Podcast : A Pre–Post Quantitative Study

Abstract

As global health challenges continue to rise, nurses are increasingly required to integrate scientific knowledge with cultural competence to provide responsive and equitable care. However, accessible and engaging learning media that support nursing students’ understanding of tropical nursing remain limited. To address this gap, the Tropical NurseTalk podcast was developed to strengthen students’ knowledge by integrating global perspectives with local wisdom as part of culturally competent practice. This study aimed to evaluate the educational impact of the podcast on nursing students’ knowledge of tropical nursing. A quantitative pre–post design was employed involving 32 undergraduate nursing students who are enrolling Tropical Nurse Course. Participants completed a 15-item knowledge test before and after listening to the episode. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests with a significance level of p < 0.05. The analysis yielded t(31) = 0.20, p = 0.84, indicating no statistically significant difference between pre- and post-test scores, with a very small effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.05). However, item-level performance ranged from 71.9% to 100%, demonstrating generally strong comprehension and suggesting that the podcast may have reinforced existing knowledge and clarified key concepts. Overall, the Tropical NurseTalk podcast serves as an effective and accessible digital learning tool that enhances nursing students’ knowledge and promotes culturally responsive thinking by connecting local insights with global health perspectives.